[Pimp Post] Junno's 25 Birthday
Warning: Image heavy, not dial-up friendly.
Happy 25th Birthday, Junno!
Taguchi Junnosuke. Age 25. Bloodtype AB. KAT-TUN's first 'T' (and resident M). Colors orange (CTKT II You) and yellow (CTKT S3). The black tengu. A multi-talented 'prince', often said to be unable to read the atmosphere (KY = kuuki ga yomenai), he's known for his bright smiles, endless energy/enthusiasm and cold jokes (read: puns). May or may not be hiding his ~wicked~ ways aka is smarter than fans people give him credit for. Arguably one of the, if not the, best dancer in KAT-TUN, he gives every performance 110%. Tight-lipped about his private life/goals, he's chatty about practically everything else. Skilled at billiards (and quite a few other sports/hobbies), he's aiming to become a professional billiards player. Recently crazy about song-making, he would one day like to try his hand at a solo live.
Infamous gag: "Iriguchi, Deguchi, Taguchi desu~!"
Given to him by Yokoyama You, Junno has since made this gag memorable and a staple part of his image.
A basic Junno timeline with facts and my favorite pics of him below...
Chibi Days
Junno entered Johnny's & Associates on May 16, 1999. In the spring of 2000, he was placed in the Johnny's group B.A.D. (2nd generation) along with Akanishi Jin and Jimmy Mackey. He also participated in the baseball J2000 team for Johnny's. In 2001, he was put in a group meant to be backup dancers for Koichi Domoto in Pop Jam. Members were switched around some before it officially became the supposed-to-be temporary unit KAT-TUN. KAT-TUN, however, started to gain a lot of attention and was eventually made a solid unit. Junno had small parts in the TV shows Omae no Yukichi ga Naiteiru and Shounen wa Tori ni Natta in 2001. He had a supporting role in the movie Mouhouhan in 2002 with Nakai Masahiro (SMAP).
2003
As you can see, ridiculously cute, haha! Though not his best hairstyle year (I'm looking at the fluffy sort of hair with the highlights?). Mostly KAT-TUN activities going on for him.
2004
Junno injured himself during rehearsals for Dream Boy and had to take a hiatus from KAT-TUN in order to heal and recover. As such, he was absent from Shounen Club from around April to June. ;______; He underwent surgery in February and returned to KAT-TUN activities that same year in August (♥), and was able to participate in Summary and at the end of the year, Kaizokuban.
2005
Junno took over the role of Nakata Saburo in Ganbatte Ikimasshoi, co-starring Nishikido Ryo (K8/NEWS), from episode 3 onwards, a role different from any others he's played as Saburo is arrogant and always quick with teasing barbs. He performed Kurui Kaketa Haguruma during Kaizokuban, and also displayed his 'tappuringu' in which he tap dances and juggles at the same time. His solo songs during the 2005 Looking tour were Yoakemae and Bebop Time. For Yoakemae, he wore the boys' crew team uniform from Ganbatte Ikimasshoi with other KT members in similar outfits as support. It's not the strongest song and I can see why he never really performed it anywhere else. OTL Bebop Time is a nice jazz/swing number where Junno gets to show off his dancing skills. Very "him"/his style.
2006
Junno played Ootori Keiichiro in the TV specials Happy! 1 and 2. His solo song during the Real Face tour was the oriental themed Seishin, of which the only memorable parts are probably the costume with the dragon going down one sleeve and his dance stunt at the end. The radio show KAT-TUN Style first aired April 3 with Junno as one of the main hosts (his co-hosts being Koki, then Jin and back to Koki), and he is still currently doing the show.
2007
In the spring, he played the supporting role of Miura Seiji, love interest to the lead, in Hanayome to Papa. His solo song during the Cartoon KAT-TUN II You tour was the upbeat and there-are-no-words-to-really-describe-this Samurai Love Attack. In fall, he took on the flamboyant role of Bido Granmarie in Yukan Club alongside Akanishi Jin. For the role, he dyed his hair a yellow-yellow shade of blond and wore blue color contacts. The yellow was eventually toned down and it became a rather becoming shade on him.
2008
After being so active as an actor, things slowed down for him. He has some of his best hairstyles during this year after he ditched the blond, went brown and cut it gorgeously short. He then dyed it black, and most people refer to this period as his White X'mas hair. His solo song during the Queen of Pirates tour is Natsu no Basho, and this is where the quality of his solos really starts to pick up. A pleasant, summery song~
2009
Junno had a guest role as the samurai (ghost) Araki Kakunoshin in episode 3 of Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo (or KochiKame for short) with SMAP member Katori Shingo. Also has a fierce angry/fed-up moment that gives me chills. The good kind. -coughs- His solo song during the Break the Records tour is Wind, and this is when he takes a more hands-on approach to his solos by writing the lyrics and collaborating on the music for the first time. Junno debuted his bleached blond hair (a ~glorious~ period, lol) at Johnny's Sports Day on December 12 (he played first base).
2010
Much like 2008, Junno doesn't pursue many solo projects this year. He performed Love Music as his solo during the 2010 Tour with lyrics he wrote himself. He changed his outfit during the tour from a white suit to a striped vest and jeans. ♥ Later on, with the release of Change Ur World, he debuted his first original song that he made completely from scratch on his own. Junno created the music, wrote the lyrics and directed the recording of his song GIRLS. Eiji Kawai helped with fine-tuning the music, and NTT is credited as Maru provided the beat-box and Koki the rap/rap lyrics. So, thanks to Junno, the subunit NTT was born. Whether this subunit will continue is still up in the air.
I don't know what's in Junno's future, but here's hoping that he pursues a lot of some solo projects this year in 2011. :3 We're waiting on your next drama, Junno! ;) Or y'know, a solo live. -coughs-
Reblog this on Tumblr here.
Download (.zip w/ covers): MU | MF
Password: happybday
A fanmix (don't know if this can technically be called a fanmix... >.>;;) or compilation/what-have-you of Junno's live solo performances, hence why I didn't include Love Music or GIRLS. Songs marked with a (*) are original Junno solos. One song - Yoakemae - is from a fancam as Junno never performed that solo anywhere else except the Looking KAT-TUN 2005ing concert. It was kinda a way to promote Ganbatte Ikimasshoi as he sang the song dressed in the boys' crew team uniform from the drama and had back-up from the other members (also dressed in the same uniform). I also included Junno's tap dancing because... well, just because. I love his tap dancing. ♥ ONE DROP is performed with Hey!Say!Jump members Hikaru Yaotome and Kota Yabu. The Special Medley goes from Seishin to Wind to Natsu no Basho to Samurai Love Attack. If you upload the fanmix to iTunes, it should already have the art covers and all the song info, etc. :3 Enjoy~ ♥♥♥
Tracklist
01) 情熱の一夜 (Jounetsu no Ichiya) ~ Okyakusama wa Kamisama
02) 赤い靴 (Akai Kutsu) ~ Okyakusama wa Kamisama
03) Tap Jungle ~ October 3, 2004 Shounen Club
04) Bebop Time* ~ May 8, 2005 Shounen Club
05) 夜明け前 (Yoakemae)* ~ August 28, 2005 Looking KAT-TUN 2005ing Fancam
06) 狂いかけた歯車 (Kurui Kaketa Haguruma) ~ Kaizokuban
07) Tap Dancing ~ Kaizokuban
08) 誓心 (Seishin)* ~ Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face"
09) Samurai Love Attack* ~ Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
10) 夏の場所* (Natsu no Basho) ~ Queen of Pirates
11) ONE DROP ~ February 14, 2009 Hi! Hey! Say!
12) Wind* ~ Break the Records
13) Special Medley ~ May 14, 2010 Shounen Club
Happy birthday again, Junno!
Cross-posted to various places.